12.12.2014

JUST SO YOU KNOW - S.Y.K. - BY J SHEP - EXTRAORDINARY BLOGGER

By Gloria Dulan-WilsonHello All:Today I'm sharing the blog of a sister/friend out of Ohio - she goes by the name of J Shep. I'm going to keep my remarks to a minimum because she has so much content and I want to make sure you get through it all - it's comprehensive and expansive, educational, and empowering.Enjoy Stay Blessed &ECLECTICALLY BLACK Gloria

Let
me give you a word of the philosophy of reform. The whole history of
the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her
august claims, have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has
been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting
all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If
there is no struggle there is no progress.~~Frederick Douglass

**Word on the Street:

"There
is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every
loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your
performance next time."~~Malcolm X

PuzzIt
2 is an exciting and fun game that allows users to use their camera to
take any photo or select any photo from their device and turn it into a
puzzle game that can create three different puzzle shapes. Users have a
time limit to complete the game to win. Great for the entire family,
adults and children of all ages.

While
2014 has been a particularly explosive year for the Black community and
judicial system, the reality is, cops have been getting away with
murder for far too long. Earlier this month, the NAACP’s Legal Defense
Fund Twitter page of tweets that contained only a date, name, and
location of every unarmed Black person reportedly killed by a person
with authority. Tweets includes men, women, and children.posted a seriesMUST READ: ‘We’re Going Backwards': Amadou Diallo’s Mother Can’t Believe Police Brutality Is Still Taking Black LivesThe
list begins in 1999 with the Bronx murder of Guinean nativeYou’ll see
some familiar names like and as the list totals at 76 casualties. As
many have suggested, we could be in the era of a , and these tweets
researched by the NAACP may be all the ammunition we need to push
forward. It’s also been revealed, in a recent study, that a majority of
White people found this year’s biggest news stories such as the deaths
of and to have not been by race. These tweets suggest otherwise and
certainly food for thought. Amadou Diallo. Oscar Grant Sean Bellnew civil rights movementEric GarnerMichael BrownmotivatedVisit the official Legal Defense Fund pagehere:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ohio State Medical Students Use "Die-In" To Highlight Racial Disparity Issues<By Tanisha MallettWednesday December 10, 2014 5:46 PMCOLUMBUS, Ohio - Students
at more than 70 medical schools across the country, including Ohio
State, participated in a protest at noon on Wednesday.It
was called "white coat die-ins" and participants say it was in protest
to the recent police involved deaths in Ferguson and New York City and
to highlight issues of racial disparities.Just
after noon Wednesday, roughly 20 medical students quietly walked out of
Ohio State's Prior Health Sciences Library, crossed 10th Avenue and
joined other medical students nationwide who were staging "die-ins" at
the same time. They held signs that read "white coats for black lives"
or "black lives matter" they stayed there, quietly, for roughly 20
minutes."It's
really bringing awareness to police brutality that we are seeing across
the country, but also the racial disparities that we see outside of the
justice system also in medicine,” said first-year medical student
Jackie MostowThe
protestors say they have a responsibility to advocate for the health of
those who they say the encounters increased stress because they battle
injustice and oppression on a daily basis.“The
racial bias and discrimination is not only an issue of our justice
system. It can also be considered a public health crisis,” said
second-year medical student Suman GuptaIt
was a concern echoed by other medical students, who protested at the
University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine. 10TV obtained a picture
which showed students at Indiana University's School of Medicine
participating in a "die-in."The students who participated say they hope the series of protests will encourage people to talk about racial bias.

"Just
raising awareness and the more people know about an issue, and get
involved with an issue, the more likely we are going to move towards
coming out with some solutions,” said Gupta

The
demonstration was student lead and organized by the group "Physicians
for a National Health Program." Organizers say it was planned for
Wednesday because it was International Human Rights Day.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When
we dare to be powerful to use our strength in the power of our vision
then it becomes less important whether we are afraid. - Audre Lorde

Thanks
for joining us on the conference call last week to discuss starting a
legal support structure in your community. We are committed to
demystifying the legal process for activists and people who get arrested
at mass protests and we appreciate your willingness to work on this as
well.

Legal support can be as simple as
being accessible by phone or hotline, logging information on arrests
and arrestees' legal status, and finding legal representation for people
who get prosecuted.

But, as promised on the call, here is some more info on the nuts and bolts of providing legal support:

The
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan speaks during the funeral service
for Marion Barry Dec. 6, in Washington, D.C. Local and national
political leaders, prominent clergy and D.C. residents who got their
first job as a result of Marion Barry’s programs were among the
thousands who gathered at the Washington Convention Center to say
goodbye to the man dubbed “Mayor for Life.” Photo: Hassan MuhammadWASHINGTON
(FinalCall.com) - After a joyous, but dignified memorial service
attended by thousands of Washingtonians Marion S. Barry, Jr. was quietly
and solemnly laid to rest at the Congressional Cemetery by 50 tearful
family members and supporters Dec. 6.

Mayor Marion Barry (March 6, 1936 - Nov. 23, 2014). Photo: AP/Wide World Photos“A
man can choose to escape and forget childhood poverty and merely
reminisce about his early years in the movement. Instead, Marion joined
his childhood poverty and his life-changing years in the civil rights
movement to form his world view.”–Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes NortonMr.
Barry was remembered again and again at the memorial as a “hero,” a
“freedom fighter,” an “elder statesman,” and a “consummate politician;”
who intentionally “used the D.C. government to improve the lives of
people;” and whose policies led to the revitalization of Washington’s
downtown, who literally created the region’s burgeoning middle class,
produced countless new Black millionaires, and without whose
intervention the 1995 Million Man March, the largest public gathering in
American history and likely the largest gathering of Black men alone in
world history, would not have been possible.

“The
Million Man March could never have happened in any other city at any
other time than in Washington, D.C. at the time of Marion Barry,” the
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam said
in a stirring tribute to the man he called a “friend” and “companion” in
the struggle to uplift Black people.

Mr.
Barry was “Not just a local figure,” the Muslim leader continued. “His
work was national and international.” Mr. Barry was “a man who loved God
and loved the people of God. Some of us who come into this life are
called not just to work for their family,” Minister Farrakhan told Mr.
Barry’s 34 year-old only child Marion Christopher Barry, “but for a
higher calling.”

“And
like everyone born on this earth, he made errors, he committed sins,”
Minister Farrakhan said, addressing Mr. Barry’s controversial arrest on
drug charges after a $40 million federal investigation and sting
operation. “In this world, when you do good for the masses, you are not
loved by those who suck the blood of the masses.”

Mr.
Barry died early Nov. 23, of apparent natural causes, after being
released just hours earlier from the hospital. Mr. Barry battled kidney
problems stemming from diabetes and high blood pressure and underwent a
kidney transplant in February 2009.

Mayor
Marion Barry stood strong in support of the Million Man March with the
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in Washington, D.C., 1995.He
served as a member of the D.C. council for 16 years, most recently
since 2005, winning re-election twice. He was referred to by his
admirers all over the city and the country as “Mayor Barry”—“Mayor for
Life,” a term he took ownership of, even as the title of his memoir
published earlier this year—despite not having held that office since
1999.

Mr.
Barry was first elected mayor in 1978 after building a political career
as an activist-organizer and the first chair of the Student Non-Violent
Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and as a local activist in Washington.
He was re-elected in 1982 and 1986, and again in 1994.

Mr.
Barry has joined the pantheon of civil rights leaders who died before
him, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, in a eulogy at the end of the
four-hour service. “Marion was one of the architects of the New South
and the New America,” pointing out that when he came to Washington in
the 1960s, segregation was still in force and Blacks were denied the
vote all over the South.

In
Mr. Barry’s wake, the New South is full of skyscrapers, and
professional athletic teams full of Black athletes competing from
Georgia, to Tennessee, to Florida, to North Carolina, the Rev. Jackson
said. “Marion Barry emancipated Washington,” and the South, he
continued.

After
a humble beginning in which he chopped cotton on a plantation in his
hometown of Itta Bena, Mississippi, then selling newspapers on the
streets of Memphis, Mr. Barry left college in 1960 just before he
completed his Ph.D. in chemistry to work in the civil rights movement,
then rose to become mayor of the capital city of the United States.

For
his part, Mr. Barry’s son, thanked his father for teaching him life
lessons, including a formative trip to Barry’s native Mississippi when
he was 13. He said Barry wasn’t a conventional father, but he always
felt the love Mr. Barry had for his constituents. “I didn’t always feel
like he had the time to spend with me as a father,” Christopher Barry
said. “It was other people that embraced me. I never felt his absence
because I always felt his love through others.”

Watch Full Funeral Service on C-SpanMinister
Farrakhan came to Washington to support his friend in court every day
during his trial on drug charges. Mr. Barry was charged with 14
felonies, but was convicted of only one misdemeanor after his infamous
videotaped arrest.

Minister
Farrakhan said he was asked by a reporter at the time—who praised him
before her question for being a devout Muslim who did not drink or
smoke—what he thought of a man who broke his marital vows and used
drugs. “I said, ‘Who are you talking about, John Fitzgerald Kennedy?’
That ended the press conference,” the Muslim leader said to a raucous
ovation.

“They
hide the wickedness of their own leaders. Nobody passes this life
without committing sin. When I say nobody, I mean nobody. The popes, the
cardinals, the imams, the mullahs. If I did not commit sin, I would not
need the mercy of God,” Minister Farrakhan continued. “The Holy Qur’an
says, ‘If Allah were to punish man for his sins, none would be left.’ So
will the holy ones stand up?” At that time everyone the dais, the choir
members and all the dignitaries who were on their feet cheering the
Minister’s remarks sat down. “This is not a sad moment. Celebrate the
life of a man who made life better.”

Mr. Barry was remembered as a man who was shaped long before he came to Washington, by his organizing work in the South.

“In
speaking about Marion as a son of the civil rights movement, I speak
not only for myself. I speak in memory of someone who knew and worked
with Marion but have passed on,” said Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes
Norton, “for others of his movement colleagues, who wanted to be here
but could not, and for still others who are here.

“The
roll of those who first worked with Marion in the movement is too long
to call, but among them are and were John Lewis, Frank Smith, Joyce and
Dorie Ladner, Bob Moses, Julian Bond, Ruby Robinson, Courtland Cox,
Chuck McDew, Diane Nash, James Foreman, Stokely Carmichael, Fannie Lou
Hamer, Ella Baker, Gloria Richardson, Bernard Lafayette, and Rev. Jesse
Jackson.”

“You
have come a long way, buddy, from picking cotton in Itta Bena,
Mississippi to running the nation’s capital,” Mrs. Norton said she often
reminded Mr. Barry. “But those cotton picking roots served Marion Barry
Jr. well. He challenged poverty by working himself out of it. ‘Coming
from the cotton fields of Mississippi, I was used to hard work. It
doesn’t bother me,’ he wrote in his autobiography. But, it was the
civil rights movement that equipped Marion to challenge segregation and
prepared him to become our mayor.

“A
man can choose to escape and forget childhood poverty and merely
reminisce about his early years in the movement. Instead, Marion joined
his childhood poverty and his life-changing years in the civil rights
movement to form his world view,” she said.

That
world view, that insistence on using the levers of power to better the
lives of ordinary people—the elderly, the young, the formerly
incarcerated—made him much beloved by the people of Washington, and was
responsible for creating one of the best educated, wealthiest Black
middle-class communities in the world.

Countless
people in the audience and on the dais, including Rushern Baker, the
chief executive of neighboring Prince George’s County, Md., credited Mr.
Barry’s Summer Youth Leadership Program—which guaranteed a job for
every Washington teenager who wanted one—with providing them their first
employment opportunity.

His
insistence that D.C. government contracts be given to non-White-owned
businesses, and that developers include non-White partners in their
projects also created countless millionaires. When he was elected mayor
in 1979, Blacks received only 3 percent of D.C. government contracts.
After his last term, that portion had increased to 50 percent.

Billionaire
real estate developer R. Donahue Peebles—the largest Black real estate
developer in the country—said he owes all his success to Mr. Barry, who
appointed him to a city real estate board at age 24 and helped him start
his business.

“Marion
Barry was an icon. He was the consummate politician. He was an elder
statesman. He was a fierce fighter for the dispossessed,” said the Rev.
Willie Wilson, Pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church, one of the
national co-chairs of the Million Man March, and one of several clergy
who ministered to Mr. Barry over the years.

While
Mr. Barry made it possible for many Blacks in Washington to become
wealthy, he never stole one dime, nor did he even take anything of
substance for himself. One speaker recalled that when asked why ordinary
citizens were so loyal to him, a man told a reporter: “I know that if
there’s just one dollar on the table, Marion Barry will fight to see
that we common people will get part of that dollar.”

Mr. Barry lived and was remembered for always adhering to his self-declared creed, to serve “the last, the lost, and the least.”

The
life of the man many called the city’s greatest politician was
celebrated with a variety of events that included a rally, a 24-hour
viewing, children releasing balloons, a processional through the city, a
community memorial service and a funeral at the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center for thousands.

Photo: RoyLewis

Audience at D.C. civic center responds during Barry memorial service. The
younger Mr. Barry introduced the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan who
was one of few, according to Christopher Barry, who stood by his father
during his darkest days.

Mayor
Barry, who died Nov. 23, at the age of 78, served the city in a range
of capacities including being mayor for 16 years and serving as a city
councilman for another 16 years. He died representing the poorest
section of the city, Ward 8 on the Southeast side of the city.

A
celebration of his life started Dec. 1, when ex-offenders, known in the
city as returning citizens held a rally and march. Sponsored by
activist groups Cease Fire Don’t Smoke the Brothers and Sisters and
Universal Madness, the march featured all those who served prison time
carrying an empty coffin throughout the city chanting “Marion Barry!
Mayor for Life!”

Mayor Barry was instrumental in decreasing the discrimination against ex-offenders.

“Mayor
Barry helped me tell the truth on my job application for the first
time,” said Jason Roberts, who was incarcerated for 10 years and
desperately needed to find a job when he returned to the city. “I was
always scared they would find out I was a felon. What Barry did lifted a
burden. I committed a crime and paid my debt to society. Many couldn’t
forget that, Barry could and he gave us another chance.”

Official
services for Mr. Barry kicked off December 3, when his body was brought
to the Wilson Building by an honor guard where it lay in repose for 24
hours for public viewing. Services started with a short 15 minute
ceremony after the family was seated followed by many of those whose
lives were changed by Mayor Barry.

Later
that day all of the schools in Ward 8 took time to have students
remember Mayor Barry who also served on the D.C. school board in his
early days. Students released balloons as they said farewell to Mr.
Barry.

His
body was placed in a hearse Dec. 4 and a processional through the city
gave people who lined the streets an opportunity to say their final
farewell. When the body arrived in Ward 8, it was transferred to a horse
drawn carriage that took it to Temple of Praise Church for another
public viewing and community memorial service.

“Marion
Barry, mayor for life, did so much for so many. He appointed two
ex-offenders to the parole board,” said Tyrone Parker, founder of the
Alliance for Concerned Black Men before a standing-room only crowd. “He
just did so much for us. We will become the vanguard for our families
and communities. He offered us compassion and redemption as we attempted
to reshape our lives.”

Rev.
Wilson told the crowd how the mayor for life started the Capital Area
Food Bank in 1980, which provided 30 tons of food each year. “He was
responsible for over a billion meals,” said Rev. Wilson.

By
Gloria Dulan-Wilson Hello All: I've been dealing with Marion Barry's
passing since the day the news flashed on my computer in big glaring
letters: "Marion Barry former DC Mayor, Dead at...[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my blog for full links, other content, and more! ]]

**CONVERSATIONFrederick Douglass -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass”Power concedes nothing without a demand.”“The
general sentiment of mankind is that a man who will not fight for
himself, when he has the means of doing so, is not worth being fought
for by others, and this sentiment is just. For a man who does not value
freedom for himself will never value it for others, or put himself to
any inconvenience to gain it for others…”“The
whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all
concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest
struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and
for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do
this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle there is no progress.
Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men
who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without
thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its
many waters.”“This
struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be
both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes
nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just
what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact
measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and
these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows,
or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of
those whom they oppress.”- Frederick Douglass, August 3, 1857, in a speech at Canandaigua, New York

As
protests and demonstrations continue in the aftermath of last week's
grand jury decision on the Eric Garner case, President Obama told BET, "A country's conscience sometimes has to be triggered by some inconvenience."

The
comment came in response to interviewer Jeff Johnson's question of "how
necessary" the protests are that continue around the nation. "As long
they're peaceful, I think they're necessary," Obama said. "The old
adage, 'Power concedes nothing without a fight,' is true." Even as the
interview aired Monday night, more than 1,000 protesters in Berkeley, CA, proceeded to shut down a highway, a train, and parts of the city's public transportation system.

Since
the Garner ruling came down, Obama has stepped up his efforts to both
raise the profile of issues surrounding police violence toward racial
and ethnic minorities and find ways to address it. The exclusive
interview with BET is just one more sign that the White House views this
moment as more than business as usual. Obama is also coordinating with
Attorney General Eric Holder, has made multiple statements on the issue,
and met in the Oval Office last week with activists, many of whom feel his response has been too complacent.

The president made his first pronouncement on the matter last Wednesday.

"I'm
not interested in talk, I'm interested in action," he said following
news of the Garner decision. "I am absolutely committed as president of
the United States to making sure that we have a country in which
everybody believes in the core principle that we are equal under the
law." It was a step up from the more professorial remarks he gave on the
Michael Brown decision at the very moment that Ferguson, MO, was
beginning to explode on TV screens across the nation.

Despite Obama's recent efforts, a majority of the public is displeased. A Pew poll found
that only 40 percent of Americans approve of his handling of race
relations over the past week, while 50 percent disapprove. His numbers
are higher among blacks, 57 percent of whom support his actions, but
that's still a 16 point slip from an August poll that Pew conducted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Things you need to know about estate planning and preparing for your minor child and special need child.

50% OF AMERICANS MAKE NO PLANS FOR DEATH OR INCAPACITATION

You Do Not Have To Be Sick To Die Or Become Incapacitated

THINGS TO BE CONSIDERED!

1. Should you die and you own a home and
you do not have a Living Trust, your heirs may have to sell the
property to pay for probate and attorney fees if there are no liquid
funds available. What if your child gave up his/her house to move in
with you to become your caregiver, he/she will be left without provision
if you die without a Living Trust with provision for him/her to be able
to live in the home for a specified time before the property can be
sold and dividing proceeds from the sell of the property.

2. Prepare a Living Trust. Do
not take the short cut such as putting your child on your deed as joint
tenant with right of survivorship. Here is an example: A mother put her
son’s name on her deed as joint tenant, the son had an IRS lien from
his business taxes for $40,000.00, when the deed was recorded with the
son’s name on it, the tax lien was placed on the property. There are
many horror stories from putting someone’s name on people’s deeds.

3. CHOOSING A POWER OF ATTORNEY IS A MUST!

It
is important for you to choose the person who you want to make
health-care and financial decisions for you should you become unable to
do so. If you do not make the choice, in many instances, the very person
who you would not want to be in charge of your affairs—becomes the
actual one handling your business on your behalf.

4. A NOTE TO SINGLE PARENTS

If
you are single, and you die, leaving behind minor children, their
father most times by law would have guardianship over their children. If
you have money or property that will pass to them,
who would you want to be legal guardian over their inheritance, their
father or someone else? Don’t leave it to the state to make decisions
about what happens to your children upon your death or if you become
incapacitated.

5... Advance Healthcare Directive (Power
of attorney for health care) Your doctor has no obligations to discuss
the medical conditions of your adult loved one—even your child. So, have
your adult children to prepare a HealthCare Directive and Durable Power
of Attorney for Financial decision should they become unable to make
their own decisions. If a person fail to makes these decisions while in
their right mind and it becomes necessary for someone to act on their
behalf, that person will have to go to court to become a
conservator—this could cost up to $4,000,00 or more.

6. What you will need to have a document notarized. You will need a valid driver’s license, or California state identification or a passport.

7. Have a beneficiary on your accounts such
as: Savings, IRAs, CDs, stocks, insurance, etc... If your beneficiary
dies, make a change of beneficiary as soon as possible. (The person who
is names as beneficiary on these account do have not have access to your
money while you are living—only upon your death.

8. A person who suffer Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease are considered incompetent in decision making. A savvy notary will not notarize documents under these circumstances.

Come
on family, start taking care of your business, you worked to hard for
what you have to let it fall into the hands of the wrong family member
or to have lawyers and others getting a piece of what you have labored
for. Call for free consultation or attend our free workshop.

Update On Campus & Community Organizer Shabaka Ture On
October 31, 2014 Ture was transported to WexnerCenter emergency room.
It was found that he had a hemoglobin level of 5 (out of 12) and
necessitated two blood transfusions. After a series of tests, including
two Cat Scans, it was necessary to perform emergency surgery.

The
surgery was successful and Ture spent three days in ICU and then the
Trauma Unit until he was released from the hospital on November 8.

Ture
is now recovering at a residence in North Columbus, where he is
continuing to improve. “The main thing that I am learning how to do is
to slow down! But, I’m learning”, says Shabaka.

Shabaka
says that this is only the second time he been hospitalized and had
surgery. The first time was when he was in elementary school. “This
thing caught me completely off guard”, he said.

He
then took time to recognize the people who have come forward to help
him. Shabaka said, “ Without them, I wouldn't be here today. I am very
grateful”!

The
Foundation for African Diaspora in partnership with the Alcohol, Drug
and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH), the Greater Columbus
Arts Council, Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, The P.E.E.R. Center
and many other community collaborators are excited to celebrate a DRUG
FREE New Year with YOU!

The
goal was to create a memorial that told the story of Nelson Mandela’s
life, including his 27 years in a South African prison, and the courage
and forgiveness that changed a nation and influenced the world.

“We
talked about recreating his prison cell, but didn’t want to be too
literal about it,” said Brian Sell, a senior designer with
Columbus-based Moody Nolan, the country’s largest African-American-owned
architectural firm.

Instead, Sell
found his inspiration from Rolihlahla, the Xhosa tribal name given to
Mandela at birth by his father. It means pulling the branches of a tree.

“It’s
the idea of light filtering through branches and creating a shaded area
underneath where people can find shelter and inspiration,” Sell said of
his design.

The granite-and-bronze
memorial he created was recently named winner of the Nelson Mandela
Memorial Design Competition sponsored by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a
human-rights nonprofit organization, and NorthStar Memorial Group, an
operator of funeral homes and memorial parks.

There
were about 200 entries from U.S. artists. Sell will receive a $1,000
prize and his design will be unveiled at the Skylawn Memorial Park in
San Mateo, California in late 2015.

“I
worked with (Mandela) the last two years of his active life,” said Sello
Hatang, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South
Africa. “And it didn’t matter who you were, he made you feel comfortable
and it was mainly because of his humility.”

Hatang believes Sell’s design will highlight Mandela’s humility and further his legacy.

“It’s
not just about the past,” he said of the foundation’s goal for the
memorial. “But rather it’s a view of what we need to do to create a
better future for all.”

San Mateo was
selected as the site for the memorial by the Mandela Foundation because
of its proximity to San Francisco and Oakland.

California
Congressman Ron Dellums championed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act
of 1986. Thousands of Bay Area residents rallied for Mandela’s release
from prison and he visited Oakland in 1990 as part of his tour of eight
U.S. cities.

Winning the competition was important to Curt Moody, one of the founders of Moody Nolan.

“We
are a diverse architectural firm,” he said. “And we felt that for what
Nelson Mandela represented to the world, who better than us to at least
try and show what this memorial should be.”

Creating the memorial allowed Sell to tap into his underused poetic side.

“The
competition gave us a chance to flex some muscles we don’t usually use.
It’s hard to put a great story into a speculative office building,” he
said, adding that he received input and critiques from several Moody
Nolan employees.

The Mandela story was
so great that the challenge was narrowing down what Sell wanted his
design to say. To help, his design includes space for several Mandela
quotes.

“My favorite is: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” he said.

His
design begins with three granite foundation pieces, or what Sell calls
monoliths. The Mandela quotes will be etched into these granite pillars.

Three
bronze pieces that represent tree trunks and branches flow up from the
granite and come together to form a pool at the top of the 15-foot
memorial that is approximately the size of Mandela’s prison cell. A
series of shapes cut into the bronze creates a dancing pattern of
shadows below.

Water also flows down from the top of the branches into a pool and then down through a series of holes.

“This is a recreation of the bars of his prison cell,” Sell said of the ribbons of water that will cascade down.

Choosing the winning design was difficult, Hatang said.

Sell’s
design was selected because of “his introduction of a sense of nature
into it, through the branches and the water,” Hatang said. “It
represents how we can use nature to convey a message of tranquility.”

Sell
is an Ohio State University graduate. He initially worked for WS
Studios and then spent 15 years at NBBJ in Columbus before joining Moody
Nolan two years ago. Much of his work at NBBJ has focused on designing
corporate offices in China, Russia and Jordan.

“This
has been a refreshing change,” he said of Moody Nolan. “We have many of
the same resources as NBBJ, but more of our work is local. I can walk
my kids through my projects.”

His
recent projects include senior housing on the former Poindexter Village
site, corporate offices and a heritage center for Honda in Marysville
and the Prairie Township Recreation Center.

“I plan to take my (three) sons to see it,” Sell said of the Mandela memorial.

He
hopes they and others who visit will “pause and read some of the
quotes, walk around under the protective canopy of the branches and
maybe start to look at the world a little differently.”

Marching for Congressional Action on Police Brutality

By Rev. Al Sharpton

On
Saturday, Dec. 13, thousands will join the families of Eric Garner,
Trayvon Martin, Akai Gurley and Michael Brown as they and National
Action Network and other civil-rights organizations gather in
Washington, D.C., for a march against police violence. Right now the
nation is engaged in a thorough conversation about race, policing and
healing. While this dialogue is necessary and long overdue, we need more
than just talk; we need legislative action that will shift things both
on the books and in the streets. President Obama announced a task force
that will report back to him in 90 days with concrete recommendations,
and he has also proposed millions in federal matching funds to provide
body cameras for some 50,000 police officers. But what happens when he
is no longer in the White House? Congress must immediately start
hearings to deal with laws that will change the jurisdiction threshold
for federal cases and policing. The executive branch has addressed this
most pressing issue, and now it's time the legislative branch do the
same.

During
the '50s and '60s people organized, marched, boycotted and literally
put their lives on the line for the sake of progress. But they didn't do
it just for President Kennedy to take action; they continued until
congressional laws were passed. They pushed their message forward until
things like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of
1968 became codified into law. Today our battle is against police
brutality and excessive force. When local prosecutors fail to conduct a
fair grand-jury investigation at the state level, as happened in
Ferguson and Staten Island recently, the threshold is so high for the
federal government to be able to take over the case. That must change.
We cannot continue to allow prosecutors who work with police regularly
to then be in charge of cases investigating those same officers and
police departments. That is a complete conflict of interest. And in
order for federal authorities to step in, we must reform current laws.

I
have been involved in the fight against police brutality and misconduct
for most of my life. Looking into a mother's or father's eyes as they
search for answers, for justice, never gets easier. But it is up to us
to demand the changes we need to see implemented. As National Action
Network and I were involved from day one in both the Ferguson and Staten
Island cases, and as I said in my eulogy for both Michael Brown and
Eric Garner, we need federal intervention without delay. The state has
already proven that it cannot do the job. We are heartened to see many
groups spontaneously take the movement to new levels across the country.
This is an idea whose time has come. There will be those who will
continue to say that we need to have a discussion. A discussion is
necessary, as long as there is follow-through with decisive action.
Otherwise, as the saying goes, talk is just cheap.

On
our journey toward greater equality and fairness, many will try to
ridicule us. They will attempt to divide us and paint us as something we
are not. It is up to those of us who would like to live in a country
where people are not profiled, harassed, arrested, beaten or killed
because of their background or what they look like to keep pushing
forward. Our detractors will use the actions of a few bad apples to
condemn us all, but we know that our movement is peaceful and our cause
just.

History
will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social
transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the
appalling silence of the good people.

Do
not be silent. Do not be complacent. Do not continue to live with
police misconduct and violence as somehow acceptable. We are not
anti-police; we are anti-police-brutality. And today we challenge
Congress to follow in the president's footsteps and take legislative
action to protect us, the citizens.

Those
who came before us sacrificed so that we may have a more just future.
Now we must do the same for the generations that will come after us. As
most Americans agree that we need some kind of reform, we head to the
nation's capital to answer what exactly we must change and how. See you
on Saturday.

Click below for more information on joining the march in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 13, 2014.

12.10.2014

EVENT ALERT: PEOPLE COME TOGETHER FOR A POLICE BRUTALITY PROTEST RALLY IN DC DEC. 13

By Gloria Dulan-WilsonHello All:December
is now stacking up to be the month for massive demonstrations - the
largest of which will take place this coming Saturday, December 13, in
Washington, DC. In
the growing and glaring wake of police atrocities that appear to be at
pandemic levels - and new reports daily are coming in of other egregious
acts of depraved indifference when it comes to Black lives - a massive
rally is scheduled this week end in the support of the families of
Michael Brown, Eric Garner and other Black young men who have lost their
lives at the hands of policemen, either through gun shot or excessive
force using illegal procedures - such as the choke hold, which killed
Eric Garner. Buses are being sponsored from New York City. Those interested can contact Reggie Wells or the National Action Network

Reggie Wells: "Athletes,
celebrities and general public around the nation are coming together
SATURDAY Dec 13th in Washington DC to Join the families of Eric Garner,
Mike Brown, Akai Gurley as we march & protest to police brutality on
our people. Have Buses leaving from Harlem State Building @ 5AM
ROUNDTRIP IS $50 If you like go PLEASE REPOND ASAP!!!! Call 917-297-1487. Let's make a change. Please spread the word!!!!!!"

Buses leaving from Harlem State Building @ 5AM ROUNDTRIP IS $50 If you like go PLEASE REPOND ASAP!!!! Call 917-297-1487. Let's make a change. Please spread the word!!!!!!"

As
places around the world seek to improve girls’ education and strengthen
their economies, governments, and societies, supporting and listening
to local leaders will be critical.This Friday, the Brookings Center for
Universal Education will host a discussion on how local leadership can
help advance girls’ education across the world—including keynote remarks
on community-based solutions by First Lady of the United States
Michelle Obama.

Kadiatou Diallo, the mother ofAmadou Diallo remains frustrated that police brutality is still taking innocent, unarmed Black lives. In an interview with CNN
on Monday, Diallo shared her honest revelations on the lack of
progress: “I have met all these victims, comforted those mothers, but
however, what is going on here is like many years ago. We’re going
backwards, so each time I relive my tragedy.” Her son Amadou was a
victim of wanton police force in sixteen years ago when he was front of
Soundview apartments, where he lived in the Bronx, four White cops shot
him with 41 bullets because they mistook him for a rapist on the run.MUST READ: ‘Fruitvale Station’ Reveals The Strained Relationship Between Police & Men Of Color [OPINION]
Amadou’s passing caused outrage as the killing cops were shockingly
acquitted in 2000. Everything about his death was echoed this year
through the similar cases of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice
and so many others. Saddened that with every grand protest or march,
America had seemingly given up after awhile, Diallo is urging for real
change. “It seems like we just move on and put everything under the rug
and pretend like nothing is happening.” She added, “We can come together
not only to protest, not only to march, but for something positive so
we don’t have this happen again. We’ve been through this so much.”
Most recently, Diallo was a speaker at an August rally for Garner and she spoke to a devastated crowd: “It
is not a Black and White. We are not against the police, the NYPD or
the police nationwide. It is about wrong. We have to stop this. Too many
tears. Too many victims.”
Since the death of her son, Kadiatou become more actively involved in preventing racial violence. She is the founder of the Amadou Diallo Foundation, speaks on behalf of Guinean Democracy, is a regular guest and lecturer at women’s and African forums and co-wrote the book My Heart Will Cross This Ocean: My Story, My Son, Amadou. In 2004, she was in talks with the City of New York for a settlement of $3 million after she filed a civil suit.

**HOUSING/FORECLOSURES

**MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS

**EDUCATION/SCHOOLS

**HBCU - HISTORICAL BLACK COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES

**BLACK MEDIA

**BLACK MUSEUMS

**AUTHORS/BOOKS

**ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT/POETRY/SPOKEN WORD

From: "Martin Luther King Jr. Performing and Cultural Arts Complex"

How do we experience violence in communities of color? Join us for Forceful Perceptions as we explore this issue.

Forceful Perceptions

Join us for the Gallery Opening tomorrow night,

December 11th, from 6 - 8pm!

How
do we view acts of violence in the Black community? How do we visualize
violence in the black community; everything from vigilante violence to
micro-aggressions? The work for this exhibition brings together local
and national Black artist who were given this theme to reflect on, and
create work. The purpose of this is not to answer the questions
surrounding the situations of violence, but to present perspectives of
how it affects our nation, and start the conversation of change for the
future.

2015 National Defense Authorization Act Gives Apache Land to Foreign Mining CorporationLast Real IndiansExcerpt:
"On December 4th, the House passed the National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA) which included a provision to transfer 2,400 acres of Apache
ancestral and ceremonial lands to a foreign mining company."READ MORE

**GRANTS

**SCHOLARSHIPS

**FELLOWSHIPS/INTERNSHIPS

**FUNDING/PROPOSALS

**JOBS/TRAINING/LABOR INFO

**VIOLENCE

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WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION MAIM AND END LIFE

STOP THE CARNAGE@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

WE CHARGE THE MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS OF "WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUTION AKA FIREARMS WITH EASY ACCESS OF.... ANNIHILATION...MAIMING....AND HEARTBREAKS OF HUMAN BEINGS"

Back At Ya...In A Few!!!! Leave A Light On...Will Ya_.

I hope you enjoyed J Shep's Blog - it was full of great information and references - from time to time I will be featuring other brother and sister bloggers that you may not be familiar with. We have to begin to cross-pollinate the wonderful body of information that is of relevance to us as Black People. No one has the lock down on sources and resources - but through sharing we are able to progress faster, coalesce and through so doing conquer the world.